Different Sort of Day
by cloudyailin
Summary: AU. Logan turned Rogue away on that frozen highway, leaving her to be saved from Sabertooth by the XMen. Years later, Logan is sought out by the XMen who have started collecting mutants together.
1. Chapter 1

The Wolverine looked her over, his emotions running somewhere inbetween amusement and curiosity. His eyes raked over her lithe leather-clad body in a manner that would have made her blush, had she still been that innocent girl who let her emotions drive her. That girl had disappeared years ago somewhere during the unnumbered battles and attacks, lost somewhere back during the funerals for friends and classmates.

"Did I miss Halloween again?" Wolverine asked dryly as she slipped into a comfortable crouch just in front of him. He eyed her again, a more-discreet-than-most leer that ran up her entire body. Rogue smiled, expressing her dark amusement. If only he knew what a touch would do to him.

"Afraid not," she answered flatly, her tone giving him the hint that she was a person to listen to. "I'm Rogue. I'm a mutant, same as you."

"No one's the same as me, darlin'."

"Don't be so sure," she practically snapped at him, tired of arrogance and superiority complexes. The past months had been hard on her. Next week was her vacation, a whole week to herself. It was just this Wolverine and one other mutant that she had to deal with. "I'm here to find you and try to convince you to come back with me and meet others of our kind."

"You trying to rustle up some more freaks?"

"I don't have to do any 'rustling'. We know where the other mutants are. All of them."

"So why do you think you can convince me?"

"I have no expectations. I was asked because you and I have already met before."

"Have we now?"

"Laughlin City. You were earning money fighting."

"Hmm . . . can't say I remember you, darlin'. Did we do anything special that night?"

"You got in a fight with the guy that lost to you. When you left I hid in your trailer and tried to get a ride."

"I left you on the road," he remembered. It was the twang of the South in her voice that made him remember.

She nodded. "That's right."

Wolverine didn't care what he'd done. He wasn't one for regrets or questioning himself. If she wanted an apology, she wasn't going to get one. "So, you're still alive, then. Would have thought you'd freeze to death or something."

"Fortunately, no. I was picked up by the X-men. The same people I work with now. They gave me a home, an education, a family, and a purpose."

"So you find other mutants and make them part of your big, happy freak-family? Very impressive."

She suddenly appeared to grow irritated with his sarcasm and devil-may-care attitude. She had a job to do and he wasn't making her life any easier. "Listen, pal!" she grated. "You got a choice to make here. You can stay here in your pathetic little life traveling from fight to fight, or you can take a chance and come with me and change it up a bit. No skin off your back. If you don't like what you see, you can just leave and come back to this. But we've got what you want. You can get into all the fights you want. Actually have a challenge for once. You can have your freedom, use your skills, make something of your life. We could use your help. All you have to do is come with me and check it out."

"And where would we be going?"

"Westchester, New York. And we'll be flying there."

"Really?"

"We're high-tech freaks," she said, with more than a bit of bitterness in her voice.

The Wolverine suddenly took advantage of the moment and lunged forward, his claws snapping out as his arm reached for her neck. The three gleaming claws halted only an inch from the side of her throat. To his surprise her head only tilted back slightly and she stayed where she was even though she had all the room in the world to back away from him. He had meant to scare her, had assumed she would fall back out of her crouch and probably scramble away in fright, leaving him to his lonely existence. But she stayed, her gaze still fixed on his face, refusing to be intimidated.

That was impressive. He didn't even smell the fear that she should have been feeling. His gaze questioned her, waiting for her to move, to do anything in response to his attack. Finally, her eyes still locked on his, she tilted her chin down and sideways, and her lips opened only to close around his knuckle in a soft, tiny bite.

He was shocked for a moment, and then realized the purpose of it when he suddenly felt energy draining out of him. His instant reaction was the desire to pull back, to survive, but he couldn't move. When she released an instant later, he nearly collapsed out of his kneel, both hands grabbing the ground and his claws digging into grass and soil to catch him. Normally he would have hated appearing so weak, but he didn't have the strength to care. It felt like she had knocked the breath clear out of him, and that _never_ happened.

"What . . . ?" he gasped, unable to do more than that for the moment. He wasn't even capable of tilting his head up to look at her. Already though, his healing powers were kicking in and he could feel the energy quickly returning to him.

"Some of us are just as dangerous as you, bub," she told him. His face flickered in surprise at the change in her voice. It was his words, his humor, and emotion that she was using. "Now typically I don't use my powers on others, it does a number on me, and changes me in ways I don't usually enjoy. Consider that your warning. A lot of us have defensive reactions that you might have a hard time walking away from. You're healing pretty fast from this one as it is though."

The Wolverine was already back upright again as she finished her statement and he took the moment to stare at her. Her power packed an unexpected punch. The drain might have knocked the breath out of him for a second but he was ready for another round. It had gotten his adrenaline running but he couldn't think of fighting for some reason. His only thought was for that mouth which had delivered such a damaging lovebite.

She let him stare at her for a moment more before she stood and asked, "You coming?" He stared some more. She seemed to have dropped all appearance of persuasion. It was like she knew his mind was made up and she was just trying to get him on his feet.

He gave a shrug as he got up. "I guess I am."

"Follow me," she said over her shoulder as she began walking. He admired her easy stride as she moved through the trees following some trail that he couldn't see. His nose told him that she had come this way previously though. She was quiet when she moved, quieter than he was even, and she didn't seem uncomfortable having him at her back. It was like she knew he wasn't going to hurt her, like she seemed to understand him.

"So what kind of name is Rogue?"

"What kind of name is Wolverine?" she threw back, understanding that he didn't mean offense. He was discreetly poking for information. People interested him, even if he wasn't willing to show it.

"Name's Logan," he said in a quiet sort of pained manner.

Rogue paused, suddenly thrown by the way he'd said it. It meant something to have a man so secretive and lost about his past give you his name. "Marie," she whispered.

They were silent after that and the walk continued for another ten minutes through the trees until they arrived at the side of a dark jet which had been carefullly landed on a rock outcropping just inside the valley.

"Nice plane," he commented with just a touch of sarcasm. She smiled slightly, finding a familiar humor in his tone. Somehow even the ridicule to the plane that her only family had taken effort to build and shape didn't offend her.

He followed Rogue up the ramp into a spacious cabin with a half dozen seats facing front and more along the sides. She headed up to the front and he followed but stopped at the back seat to watch the woman stride up towards where the pilot, copilot, and a passenger sat.

"How are we doing, Storm?" she directed to the pilot as she moved forward.

The passenger, whom she had been pointedly ignoring, reached out and danced his fingers along the back of her thigh. She hissed at him, quite like a cat, and raised her hand, the fingers curled like claws.

The man instantly raised his hands in surrender. "Perhaps Remy made a mistake, cheri."

"Damn right you did," she snarled, lowering her hand as she forced the fingers to unbend and relax. Wolverine couldn't help but think that the conversation was directed to something more than him touching her just this time. They seemed too uncomfortable with each other to be anything but close.

The pilot threw a disapproving back at Remy before looking to the young woman. "The professor added a third name to the list, Rogue."

Rogue groaned. "Dammit, we'd better be done before four. I've got places to be." She turned away from the front and pointed at a seat for Wolverine as she took the one beside it. He noticed that she chose the one behind Remy, the better to keep an eye on him and stay where he couldn't easily see her.

Wolverine took a long glance at Remy's face as he sat down. He was slightly startled to see the man's eyes, a disconcerting combination of black and red. It gave the man an exotic look but Wolverine instantly pegged him for a brigand without any honor at all. That man would be happy to use anyone and do so without guilt.

"Everyone, this is Logan," Rogue introduced as the engines of the jet kicked on. She seemed to realize that he would rather be considered human than animal. Her tone was soft when she turned to him. "Logan, this is Remy LeBeau, Ororo Munroe, and Kitty Pryde."

"Call me Storm," the white-haired pilot said over her shoulder as the jet slid smoothly into the sky. "And buckle up."

Wolverine rolled his eyes and looked over to see Rogue struggling with her harness. "Hate these things," she murmured to him.

Remy popped his head out from his seat to look back and ask, "Can Remy offer his assistance, cheri?"

Her lip curled as she looked at him and her foot kicked the back of his seat. Her voice was icy. "Your persistance is only going to land you in the infirmary."

Remy shut up and sat swiftly back down.

It was only a twenty minute flight before the pilot, Storm, brought the jet to land again. "This the one with the destructive tendencies?" Rogue asked wearily.

"That's her. Gambit and Kitty and I have this one if you're okay with staying here."

"Sounds good." They all unbuckled, Rogue heading towards the back as the other three dropped out of sight at the bottom of the ramp.

Logan sat there, pleased for the moment to be ignored as he attempted to gather his thoughts.

"You want something to eat?" Rogue called up. Logan turned in his seat to find her head stuck in one of the storage lockers in the back.

He wasn't exactly hungry, but he felt like he could eat something. Especially if it was the peace offering from her that he thought it was. "What have you got?"

"Beef jerky," she pulled her hand out with a ten ounce bag in her hand, but her head was still in the compartment, searching for more.

Logan left the seat and took the bag from her. "Sounds good."

"It's Remy's. Eat it all," she invited with a fearsome grin.

Logan smiled with pleasure at the idea of pissing off the creepy little mutant. Even if it would be totally Rogue's fault, he loved being able to contribute something to the mischief. "Take it you don't like him much."

"Let's just say he doesn't really have a reason to think so highly of himself," she said off-handedly as she shuffled through the compartment and pulled out a can of peaches which she contemplated for a moment. "His uses are few and far between," she finished as she set the can on the bench and pulled out plastic spoons.

"Huh." Logan let himself be amused by her frank assessment and straddled the bench next to her while chewing loudly on a chunk of the jerky.

After Rogue had snatched a piece of the jerky she pried open the can of peaches and Logan immediately picked up a spoon to dig into that as well. Rogue joined him and the meal suddenly felt like an impromptu picnic for two. Logan felt surprisingly sociable with the young woman, though they ate in a comfortable silence.

000000

"We're leaving," Kitty announced as the three mutants staggered back in and interrupted the picnic. Remy looked startled and silently angered at the sight of his empty package of jerky but Logan flashed a challenging grin that sent any of the man's more daring thoughts running for shelter.

"I take it she didn't like the suggestion?" Rogue asked mildly. Logan smelled blood, sweat, fear, and a bit of exhaustion on the three. They'd been fighting, and it appeared as though they'd lost their battle.

"I think there was PMS involved," Kitty replied and Rogue chuckled before dumping the remains of the meal in a plastic bag and stuffing it back in the locker. She shoved Logan in front of her back towards his seat as Storm started getting the jet ready for take-off.

There was a sudden thud of something large and heavy striking the side of the jet which set the entire vessel shaking. "Storm, can you raise the ramp please?" Rogue asked patiently.

Logan raised his eyebrows, concerned rather than frightened. He knew from experience how very difficult it would be for him to die, and his invulnerability made him unperturbed by the situation. He didn't know these people well enough to really care about their well-being, although Rogue was interesting if nothing else. "Problem?" he questioned her mildly.

She threw him a barely irritated glance. "Is it possible you might have been followed?" she called up towards the front.

"It would appear so," Remy tossed back furiously. He was beside Storm at the controls, though his skill was far below anything that could really benefit them. "How long till you can get us in the air?"

"Another thirty seconds," Storm answered just as the entire jet rocked from a hard hit. "If she doesn't damage anything important. Get in a seat."

Remy threw himself back into the seat and buckled in quickly as Rogue scrambled for her belt as well. Logan reached over and snatched the buckles from her, fastening them himself before she could object to his help. He didn't know why the urge to see her secure had come over him but he did it and buckled himself in fast before Storm sent the jet rocketing for the clouds.

Logan watched Rogue slow her breathing in only moments and then relax. "Are you all alright?"

Kitty was looking herself over, and even though she was the one who was most likely to get out of the way of danger, she appeared to have a few bumps. "I hit my head."

"Tell me when we're good," Rogue said.

Storm nodded. "Two minutes until we've got altitude and a chance for me to check the radar." Rogue waited patiently until Storm nodded at her and then she unbuckled and went up to check on Kitty's head. "It's just a little blood. Don't fall asleep, okay?"

"Concussion, right."

"I will slap you if you so much as blink for a second longer than normal."

"Understood."

"Storm, how did you make out?"

"I'm pretty sure there was some blood on my leg. Just a second and I'll see to it."

Rogue crouched down beside the chair to check it out and popped back up after a moment. "Yeah. I'll get some bandages." She kept her balance moving towards the back of the jet but only barely. Logan caught her from falling at the slight bit of turbulence when she made her way back up front with bandages in hand and she nodded her thanks to him as she kept moving towards Storm.

"This will be easier if you turn away from the controls."

"I should stay here. The turbulence might get pretty bad."

"At least give me your leg." Storm carefully turned her body out towards Rogue who unzipped the leg revealing the smooth dark skin. Rogue didn't have much experience medically, but the physiology she had studied combined with emergency first aid training gave her some understanding of what needed to be done. "Storm, does your leg hurt very much?" she questioned in a concerned tone after a second.

"Worse every second," the woman said, and a bit of pained harshness finally seeped out in her voice.

"It's swelling up pretty ugly," Rogue announced. "Might be broken. Or at least fractured. I think we should take you back to the mansion."

"We have a mission to finish."

"Do you honestly think you can make it? You're the only one we have to fly this thing. Maybe some painkillers."

"No. I need to keep my head. I've had worse."

"Do you think I should bandage it up?"

"Leave it."

"The scratch is bleeding though."

"It's already stopping. And you need to get ready. You're going out for the last one."

"I'm just barely injured," Remy offered.

Rogue stood up, deigning to glare at him for a moment. "You can fucking die." She folded the medical supplies back in their box and headed to the back to return them to their locker. "What information did the professor give us on this one?" she asked as she pulled her hair back and tightened the wrists of her gloves.

Kitty first looked at Storm who was too focused on the computers to be bothered, and then answered. "Male, mid twenties, moderate chance of danger. He's been sighted before, even put in the tabloids, but he's managed to protect his identity. He's safe, though that might not last long. We'll find him at his house in Kentucky; we've got the coordinates. It's his mother that wants him to come up with us."

"How's she know?"

"She's Cannonball's mother."

"Oh. And the newbie?"

"Cannonball's brother, Jay. He's got fucking wings."

"Don't start with the wing thing, Kitty. Why's he coming with us?"

"Last resort. He's been having some trouble killing himself. Been trying real hard was my impression."

"Like we don't have enough emo teenagers around the mansion to babysit."

"Rogue!" both Kitty and Storm managed to snap chidingly.

"Jeez. Ease up. I'll take care of it. What kind of danger will I have to worry about?"

"None. His mother and the family is expecting us. Get in, pick him up, get him out. The only trouble might be him not wanting to come."

"Well, if he's that suicidal, maybe he'll be depressed enough not to care."

"If he doesn't want to come, you're going to be hard pressed to make him by yourself."

"I can come," Remy offered.

"Not even when hell freezes over." She turned to the only other option, and one that she knew would piss Remy off. She also knew she could trust him. "Logan, you can come with. See what we do. You can carry the kid if we need to. Or just scare him into doing what we want."

"Sure. Why not." Logan shrugged and sent Remy another animal grin of dominance.

"Just two minutes to touch down," Storm announced.


	2. Chapter 2

Logan looked around the field cautiously, not sensing any danger but knowing better than to let his guard down in this strange place. At least this way, here with another mutant who seemed to understand that he wasn't one to just drag along, he felt useful. This was more useful than he'd felt in a long time. This was a purpose that appealed to his human side. All the life that he could remember was just an animal instinct to survive. One big mess of letting the normal people that surrounded him get on with their lives and trying to help them ignore everything that made him so different.

Sometimes people just sensed that they were safer staying away from him. Oh, he'd had the problem often enough. People wanted to back away from him rather than be trapped, no one ever liked him cornering them. And then there were the random ones who enjoyed the thrill of mystery and fear he could send through them. There were always some of those women around, and though it was always a quickly fading pleasure, it was a pleasure all the same.

Rogue didn't appear at all put off by him, but perhaps it was because he was useful in fulfilling her purpose of keeping that Remy character at a very long arm's length. Logan imagined she'd met all kinds of mutants in her work; maybe none as intimidating as he was, but there had to be some that came close. She was good at keeping her emotions close to the vest, not letting them interrupt necessary business and that was something Logan could definitely admire.

She strode down the ramp and passed him on her way to the nearby house. She wasn't being at all cautious, but she had probably learned that when dealing with mutants it was more valuable to appear confident than careful.

Rogue didn't even have to knock on the door before it was pulled open. Landing a spectacular jet in someone's yard does often have the effect of announcing one's arrival better than a doorbell. Logan locked his eyes on the thin face of the older woman as she opened the door to meet her visitors. "Did the professor send you?" she asked as she opened the door for Rogue.

It wasn't really a question that needed asking in Logan's opinion because what else would two strangers be doing here with a jet? He said nothing, although the way the woman looked him over made him believe that she was possibly more comfortable with him in her house than Rogue. It might have been his age, or his common-man appearance compared to Rogue's leather uniform.

"Yes, Mrs. Guthrie. We're here to bring Jay back with us."

"Thank you. I just don't know what to do anymore. It's hard." She turned her gaze to Logan as if looking for validation of her claim. His eyes narrowed as he sensed an untruth in her. She wasn't lying about it being hard. She was tired. She didn't want to take care of a suicidal kid anymore. Maybe she didn't know what to do, but who ever did? She was just looking to this professor and his mutants as a way out.

"We know," Rogue answered as Logan watched. "We'll do our best to take care of him. And his brother is there. Maybe that will do some good."

"I don't know. They aren't always the closest. I just want to know that he's somewhere where people will understand him. That's not here. Even with his brothers and sisters . . . they're all different. They all have to go through this on their own." The woman knocked on the door she had led them up through the house to. "Jay, honey. It's me. The professor's people from the school are here."

There was no answer and she pushed open the door to reveal a mess of a room. "Oh, Jay, I just cleaned this up," the mother murmured in a mix of dismay and despair.

"I couldn't find my book." The voice came from the corner where a young man with full coppery wings that matched his hair stretched out in a pile of beanbag chairs and pillows. Rogue seemed to take on a pitying attitude at the sight of him. The feathered wings seemed to explain it all, the way they were dull and rumpled, lacking the gleam that feathers were expected to have

This man didn't care. Logan could understand the lack of desire to live, but not the act of letting go. Animals didn't just give in like that, it was a human quality and one that Logan was glad he had never felt. The sight of the young man made him all the more pleased that he was living and sane.

"I packed it in the bag. I told you the professor was bringing you to his school. The one that your brother's at?"

He ran a hand along the strings of his guitar without letting any of them ring out in a note. He never looked up as his mother spoke to him, her voice so uncertain. "I know."

"Why aren't you ready to go?"

"How should I be ready?"

"Put a jacket on to hide those wings while you're outside," she fussed as she went to the closet to pull out a long, black trenchcoat. Jay didn't seem to comprehend the order and just sat there with the guitar across his knees.

"Are you going to bring the guitar with you?" Rogue asked, seeing what it would take to get him out of his funk.

"Huh?" he turned to look at her seeming surprised that she was there.

Rogue crouched down to his level. "My name's Rogue. I'm going to bring you back to the school with me. This is Logan, he's a new friend of ours."

Jay's eyes swung around to the man standing in the doorway and he seemed a little more attentive at just the sight of Logan. Something about the man had jolted him farther awake. "Are you coming?" Rogue asked.

Jay glanced again at Logan who stared him down. "Yeah," Jay answered slowly.

It turned out that Logan did have to almost carry Jay. The young man wasn't doing too well, and almost fell over when he tried to walk down the stairs. There was an interesting few minutes trying to untangle his wings from everyone until he realized they just wanted him to keep them out of the way, and then he managed to fold them back neatly. Rogue had his two duffle bags slung over her shoulder and walked behind Jay who was cradling his guitar at his side. Logan had slung the man's free arm over his shoulders and was now helping him along back towards the jet.

Mrs. Guthrie's farewell to her son had been short, and not quite heartfelt. She seemed relieved, but Jay never noticed. Rogue didn't think he would have cared had he noticed. Rogue wondered what had happened to him to make him this way, but she expected that he wouldn't want to talk about it. She planned on asking Cannonball when they got back to the school exactly what the story was. He liked talking about his family as it was.

Logan got Jay buckled into the seat beside Remy and behind Kitty before going back to his own. He didn't miss the glare that Remy was discreet about tossing his way. Certainly was a jealous guy, Logan observed. Logan enjoyed Rogue's attention as it fulfilled the desire in him to be first and most important male around. The only thing that made him that way was Rogue.

She was important in this little group. Sure, Storm was the leader, Remy was the most offensively powerful of them, and Kitty was just a tagalong getting experience and helping out. Yet Rogue was the one that they would listen to, although Logan wasn't quite sure why.

She was a wild thing, like him. He could tell by the rebellious way she held herself like a princess. She wasn't the most powerful, but she was the wild factor, the deciding factor. She had a presence and standing over the other four mutants and he understood that she would be able to convince them to do pretty much whatever she wanted. There wasn't any uncertainty in her at all.

She buckled herself in this time, after depositing Jay's bags in the back. She noticed Logan looking at her and she grinned. It was a friendly smile of gratitude for his help and a sign that he was welcome in her book. That she was there with him, as no one else on this ride would be.

Storm took off, murmuring something important to Kitty who was nodding intently like a proper little student. After the jet was in the air, Kitty went about turning her seat around to face Jay who she engaged in a quiet conversation. Her voice didn't carry too much so Logan didn't need to eavesdrop, but he looked over at Rogue who was pulling off her gloves.

"So what's your power exactly?"

She wasn't quite startled by his question so she answered after only a pause. "I can suck the energy out of other people, along with their powers and personality. It's all temporary. And I've worked hard to get it to where I can almost control it completely. Still, best to be careful." She waved the gloves around. "Accidents are dangerous."

"Remy does agree with that," the other man interrupted.

Rogue managed to let that pass by with nothing more than a grimace flying across her face. She stared at the gloves with a little dismay before slipping them into her belt and flexing her free fingers.


	3. Chapter 3

"Kitty," Storm murmured.

"Yeah?" Kitty answered over her shoulder without turning away from Jay.

Storm didn't respond, and as Kitty began to turn towards her teacher, the Blackbird suddenly swung about. Her seat still facing backwards, Kitty couldn't see what was happening at the controls. Remy yelped and grabbed onto the arms of his seat as the Blackbird's main engines shut down and the whole plane started to fall earthward. Kitty shrieked as the plane began tumbling slowly end over end without the main engines to direct it. Jay was right in front of her, his expression still dazed as he looked around in confusion. Kitty reached out to him, struggling to control her panic at the sensation of gravity pulling at her from unusual directions.

She glanced over her shoulder, but couldn't see anything more than one of Storm's boots and the back of the pilot's chair. She stopped trying, focusing on the others. Remy was clinging to his seat. Logan, appearing concerned by the situation, was unbuckling himself. Rogue, her face a mask of terror, had already gotten herself free of her seatbelt and was pulling herself toward Storm using the seats.

Kitty watched Rogue climb past her, and then Logan follow. There was a flurry of frantic exclamations between them, and then at once the Blackbird was parallel with the ground and her engines roared to life one by one.

Kitty heaved a breath, then another, letting herself relax. After a few moments, Jay squeezed her hand, a calm smile crossing his face. Kitty almost laughed at his complete lack of sanity, but settled for shaking her head in disbelief. She glanced at Remy, he ran a hand through his hair as he nodded to her. She nodded back, indicating that she was alright. She reached down for the lever on her chair and turned it so she was once again facing forwards.

Logan was unbuckling Storm while Rogue stood beside the pilot's chair, hands running across the control panel as she examined the lights and buttons there. Logan moved Storm to the chair beside Kitty and waved the girl towards her teacher. Kitty unbuckled with a cautious glance to the front. The yellow light beside the autopilot was comfortingly lit, and Kitty left her seat to tend to Storm.

***000***

Rogue read the labels to jolt her memory before she touched the communications display. Two switches was all it took before a faint static greeted her ears. "Jean? Scott? Anyone home?" Rogue called into the microphone.

"Rogue?"

"Can you tell me how to fly this thing?"

"What?"

Scott spoke, his direct manner of speaking inspiring more confidence than Jean's worrying. "Is everything alright up there?"

"Where's Storm?" Jean demanded.

"Storm . . . looks to be unconscious," Rogue answered glancing back at the woman. "She just slumped over onto the controls."

"Are you leveled off?" Scott asked.

"Excuse me?"

"Is the Blackbird pointed towards the ground?" he asked with a bit more force.

"I'm not a complete idiot, thank you!"

At Rogue's snap, he quickly lost the testiness. "Who else do you have with you?"

"Unconscious Storm, Gambit, Kitty, Jay Guthrie, and Logan."

"Conditions?" Scott asked.

"Gambit and Kitty both have head injuries," Rogue reported. "Jay's rather out of it. Logan's up here playing copilot."

"It says here you've had four hours in the flight simulator, right, Rogue?"

She grimaced guiltily. "Um, no. Actually, I've only had one. The rest I skipped out of to play video games with Peter."

"Flying video games?" Jean asked hopefully.

"Ground combat."

"Logan? Have any practice flying?"

"Sorry, bub. Can't recall that I do. Just here to enjoy the ride." He grinned at Rogue. "Don't panic, kid."

She rolled her eyes. "Jean, Scott, I don't even know how to find the mansion from here."

"Maybe a water landing would be best."

"We've got injuries," Rogue argued. "We don't want to take too long getting them to medical facilities, and we don't want to have to be carting them about. I'm serious. Tell me how to find the mansion."

"We need your latitude and longitude."

"Where's that?"

"Thirty-nine degrees eighteen minutes north, seventy-eight degrees twelve minutes west." Logan read, pointing to the specific screen he was reading.

"Thought you said you'd never flown," Jean commented suspiciously.

"Said that I couldn't remember practicing. But I'm not a complete idiot. I can find latitude and longitude."

"Virginia," Scott said. "Rogue, I think it would be best if you use the compass to fly. You know where that is?"

"I see it."

"Now, when you handle the controls, you need to touch them gently. Try not to jerk them around. The Blackbird is a delicate, fine-tuned machine. She responds to anything."

"I noticed."

"Alright, so just be careful, take it easy. You're going to head in a generally north-west direction. When you see the reading reach about forty degrees eighty-six minutes north and seventy-three degrees eighty-four minutes west, you're going to drop altitude. Do you know where the altimeter is?"

"I know that one. Tells you how high you are."

"Right. You'll want to drop the plane gently, carefully, gradually to-- Professor!"

"Rogue, I think the best and safest way to land the Blackbird here at the mansion will be under my direction, psychically," the Professor said.

"Professor, we've had bad experiences with your telepathy in my head. I believe your exact words were 'It doesn't work'."

"This is true. Perhaps I can use one of the others. Jay."

"You want to use Jay?"

"His mind is cooperative at the moment. More than anyone else on the Blackbird. I'll need you to fly to the correct location. Then Jay and I will take care of the rest."

"Alright."

***000***

Rogue sighed with relief as the Blackbird settled gently onto the ground. She unbuckled herself as Jay, still under the Professor's direction, shut the systems down. She watched as he completed the tasks, and then, when everything was finished, slumped back in his seat. She bent and pulled one of his arms over her shoulder, helping him from the pilot's seat.

She eased him towards the ramp, following Logan, who was carrying Storm, and Kitty who was clutching at her head. Remy was already down the ramp.

***000***

With all the medical attention required, the Professor wasn't interested in more than a simple report at the moment. He watched Jean work on Storm's leg and let the others go to get cleaned up before dinner and the debriefing.

Kitty left to help Jay up to his room, Remy hadn't even come down to the infirmary with them. Logan had disappeared after passing Storm over to Jean and Scott.


	4. Chapter 4

With all the medical attention required, the Professor wasn't interested in more than a simple report at the moment. He watched Jean work on Storm's leg and let the others go to get cleaned up before dinner and the debriefing.

Kitty left to help Jay up to his room, Remy hadn't even come down to the infirmary with them. Logan had disappeared after passing Storm over to Jean and Scott.

---***---

"Hey, sewer rat," Logan called from the doorway of the hangar. Gambit, who had only one foot on the stepstool and was leaning into midair to reach a box on top of the storage lockers, lost his balance and fell to the floor. As he slowly got back up, he glared menacingly at Logan. Logan grinned.

"What do you want?" Gambit demanded.

"I want to know what you did to piss off Rogue so bad."

"Don't see how that's your business."

"Just sating my curiosity. 'Course, I could get her side of the story first. She seems _awfully _upset with you."

"My chere will forgive me," Gambit answered stubbornly. "She always does."

"You don't sound too certain of that."

Gambit lifted his chin defiantly. "Possibly you know of Rogue's powers? She is most adverse to being touched. Perhaps Gambit stole a kiss. Perhaps the chere took offense."

"Ah. An unwelcome touch. Now I understand." Logan nodded to himself and left. Gambit glared at the doorway before righting his stepstool, this time closer to the box.

In the hallway, Logan listened to the footsteps approaching and recognized them. He leaned against the wall and waited for her. Rogue smiled slightly when she saw him. "There you are. I thought you might have gotten lost."

"Were you going to send out a search party?"

"Considering just how occupied everyone else is right now, I think that search party would have been pretty small. Just me."

"What's the plan?"

"We're going to meet back in the conference room in a few minutes. Now that everyone's cleaned up and relaxed we'll discuss the mission, chat a bit, loosen up. Everyone will probably want to know a little more about you so they can form their own opinions. I'm not entirely sure what your place here is going to be. I don't even know why the Professor wanted us to find you."

"I have a few ideas."

She shook her head immediately. "When we fight, we fight smart. I don't think the Professor wanted you for that."

"You reading my mind?"

"That's the Professor's ability, not mine. I touched you earlier. My mutation allows me to absorb memories."

"How many . . . how much did you get?"

"Enough. Your mind is a bit different than most."

"How so?"

"The memories were . . . strategically arranged. Ordered. Categorized. No one else I've ever imprinted remembers like that. Your memories were easy. They absorbed more quickly than I'm used to because they are so conveniently ordered. I absorbed everything. Not that there were a lot of memories to absorb."

"Yeah."

"I know how badly you want to remember your past. The Professor might be able to help with that. I know that's the reason you came with me. You're right to hope. It might be within his power to help you."

"I scratch his back, he'll scratch mine?"

"He'll try. I don't know if it will work, but I promise he'll try. Maybe that's why he wanted to find you. Maybe he wants to see if he can help. Even the Professor likes to challenge himself occasionally."

"All altruism? You make your Professor sound like a pretty nice guy."

"He is. He doesn't consider people just in terms of their usefulness to him." She stepped in front of him, stopping him, and lifting her eyes to meet his. "He would never think of you as just a weapon to be used," she said. The sincerity in her eyes, the steady unfaltering rhythm of her pulse, the certainty in her voice, all assured him of her honesty.

But that didn't convince him that she was right about her Professor. Logan didn't believe in the existence of pure good. He knew without a doubt that humans were just another species of animal, and just as selfish, just as focused on their own survivals. Everyone had an agenda.

She apparently had enough of his memories to follow his thoughts because she pushed a firm hand into his chest. "This is not childish optimism," she insisted. "I am not a fool. I know as well as you do what people are like. I might even know better, considering the mountain of experiences I have in my head. I trust the Professor. He takes care of us."

"If you're not a fool then you know that your Professor's no angel. He's a man, just like everyone else, and he's using you the same way everyone uses everyone else. You put him on a pedestal because you're grateful to him. And I'm guessing he lets you because like any person he likes it and it's useful to him."

"Go to hell. You don't care. I can feel however I damn well please about the Professor because no matter what the reason, he took me in. He gave me a home. He didn't abandon me. I trust him because he has never abandoned me when I needed him."

"Are you still holding that against me after four years?"

"I ain't holding nothing. I have all your memories. I know without a doubt that if I had waited on that road for another ten seconds you would have stopped."

"You know that for sure?"

"I know it. Some people only remember sensory input. Some people shade memories to their liking, everything pretty and colorful and perfect weather even in their worst experiences. Some people remember odd details like the color of a woman's dress, a particular dog barking. Some people only remember the very most pertinent facts, everything around them a gray blur except for the face of the person they were listening to. Some people remember emotions but usually only a powerful sensation of fear or rage or contentment or pleasure."

"And my memories are different?"

"Your memories are more vivid than most because your mind registers everything. Every increase of heartbeat, every bird chirp, every flicker of expression, you remember. You remember your own thoughts, emotions. Every bit of them. Your mind is completely there."

"Is that unusual for you? I thought you'd done this before."

"I have, but not like this. Perhaps I held on too long. Perhaps you're just different."

He heard the omission and guessed at the one reason she didn't want to think about. "Perhaps you're growing stronger." Her answering expression told him that he'd gotten it right. "How many people have you absorbed like that?"

"Why are you so curious?"

"Apparently, you know everything there is to know about me. It's only fair that you tell me a little bit about you."

"You're right. That is only fair."

"You can't control it at all?"

"It comes as it wishes."

"So if you were caught by surprise, say, by a kiss . . ."

"He told you?!"

"I asked. The rat was rather defensive about it. Seems to think he did nothing wrong."

She snarled. "Nothing wrong, my ass."

"If he had asked?"

"He always asks. A second too long and he could have died. The fool."

"You didn't like what his memories showed you."

Rogue bit her lip. Her breath came out a bit heavier. "He's not what he pretends to be. He's a man, same as everyone else, but he has act to seem normal. It's not in him. He'd rather lie than tell a truth. Kill a partner than share a treasure. Start a fight than appear a weakling. Let a burglar rob a house than call the police. He is selfish and spiteful and cowardly."

"You're describing the majority of the species."

"He has no honor." She stared at Logan, daring him to challenge that.

"Honor's a rare thing to find."

"It's worth finding." It only took a second for him to grasp her meaning. He opened his mouth but she turned away. "Come on. We shouldn't leave them waiting for us."

The room Rogue led them to was busier than he'd expected. He'd assumed that their meeting was just going to be a calm debriefing and cool off with introductions. By the taken aback expression on Rogue's face, the level of activity had also surprised her.

"What's going on?" she asked as she led the way in.

The Professor turned to her. "Rogue, something has come up. I know you were planning on leaving today but we're needed and I know I can trust you best to take care of things here."

Rogue's face tightened in a scowl, her jaw clenched as if she were barely managing to hold back from cursing. The Professor's eyes widened in surprise as he recognized abnormalities in her thoughts. His gaze flickered towards the newcomer who managed to appear more than vaguely threatening while leaning unobtrusively in a corner.

"Rogue, I shouldn't need to remind you how damaging it is for you to imprint."

"Then don't," she answered curtly. There was a bit of shuffling in the room during their exchange, firstly because no one else had noticed Rogue touching anyone, and secondly because Rogue was always respectful towards Professor Xavier. He had been more sympathetic to her than anyone else in her life and she looked to him as a father figure.

"Will you do this for me?" he questioned softly, sounding uncertain if she would obey him.

"Yeah. Whatever, bub," she answered carelessly before turning and stalking over to a chair which she reclined comfortably in, her legs draped over the armrest.

"A few of the older students have been informed of the situation and will be keeping an eye on things to help out in case there's any trouble, but you're in charge."

"Got it."

"And since I doubt you'll be sleeping tonight, please help with some of the usual chores after you get our guests settled, and have the hangar prepped for our return."

"Yes, sir, Professor."

---***---

"So, what about you?" Logan asked after she'd run through the list of everyone he'd met today along with their powers and back stories.

"What do you want to know?"

"You said you trusted your Professor. Way you talked about him, I was under the impression that you liked the guy. But you were treating him like a complete prick a few minutes ago. From everyone's horrified shock, I'm thinking that's not normal behavior. So what was that back there?"

"That was your distrust of authority figures. The more recent an imprint, the harder it is for me to control the emotions of a personality. It takes time to develop self-control."

"You should be careful about that. Don't want to get on the bad side of your boss."

"He's not my boss. And my relationship with the Professor is very solid. He understands the change in my behavior is not a reflection on how I feel about him. He knows better than to take it personally."

"Just what kind of relationship do you have with the Professor?"

"He is my teacher; I am his student. I'm part of his team. He's helped us, and we help him."

"Sounds like an excellent deal for everyone."

"It is. We have a good team." Rogue turned and paused before a doorway which opened before them. Lights above turned on, and Logan saw that they had returned to the hangar. This time he took a moment to fully examine the room, memorizing its size, the exits, and the placement of equipment.

Rogue went around the room, closing a few open storage lockers, moving a cart of tools, folding a ladder, and picking up a broom to sweep the debris off the floor. Logan was taking in their surprising selection of neatly arrayed wrenches when he heard her stop moving suddenly and then the fainter sound of an increased heart rate.

"Something wrong?" he asked.

She was staring at an empty locker. "They took the plastic."

The statement meant nothing to him. "Yeah?"

"The Professor must suspect Magneto."

"Magneto?"

"A mutant by the name of Erik Lensherr. He manipulates metal. You would have a bit of a problem."

"What's he up to that the Professor needs to be involved?"

"He wants to subjugate the human race. According to him, mutants are superior, and should be ruling the world."

"You're scared of this guy."

"Go to hell."

"Just an observation. Don't you think your team is up to the challenge?"

"We're more than capable of dealing with this."

"So you're scared of him. This Magneto guy." He observed her reaction again. "Is he that dangerous? Too tough for your team to take?"

"We'll get him this time."

"You know him personally?"

"I've had some contact."

"What did he do to you?"

"Who have you been talking to?"

"Only you. Don't get all paranoid. You said 'I', not 'we'. I'm going to assume that you meant that _you've _had contact with him, not your team."

"I didn't mean that."

"Slip of the tongue, I'm guessing. What did your previous experience with Magneto entail?"

"He tried to kidnap me. To use me in one of his schemes to 'take over the world for mutants'."

"What did he want you for?"

"For my power. He forced me to absorb his power to run a machine whose purpose was to cause mutation in normal human beings."

"So he didn't just _try _to kidnap you, he actually succeeded."

She didn't say anything.

"You didn't mean to tell me that, either, did you?"

"Another slip of the tongue."

"Regrettable, how often that happens to you."

"I'll work on it."

"I'm sure."

"I _hid _here in the mansion for months. Long enough to make him miss the window he wanted to use. His opportunity passed and we thought he'd given up. I thought I was safe, time passed, and I got sloppy. Careless. Of course, he had a back up plan. I think he always does."

"But you'll get him this time?"

"That's me being optimistic. Magneto is very intelligent. Someday though. Maybe."

"Maybe I'll stick around for awhile then."


End file.
